Brian Rolston is in limbo, and likely, in the lineup as the Devils face the Coyotes on Wednesday night in Newark.

Rolston cleared waivers at noon Wednesday, as all 29 other teams passed on grabbing him and the remainder of his $5 million salary this season and next.

The Devils are believed to be trying to move him to clear cap space, although assigning him to Albany will not accomplish that, since his contract was signed after he turned 35. The most-likely scenario would be to assign him to Albany and put him on re-entry waivers, where the Devils would be pay half his remaining salaries and suffer half his remaining cap hits, while he plays elsewhere.

Still, after taking the drastic action of waiving Rolston, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello still says his team can make the playoffs.

“Are we capable of it? Absolutely. This week, without question, is an important week,” Lamoriello said. His preseason powerhouse stands 29th of 30 at 8-19-2, losers of five straight.

The Devils need 70 points in the final 53 games (35-18) to reach just 88 points, the fewest-ever to make the playoffs since the shootout. Against that backdrop of desperation, Lamoriello Tuesday waived Rolston, claiming he “has to start somewhere.”

Until he’s moved, Rolston will likely remain with the team. The Devils have a payroll of some $66 million, more than $6 million over the cap, relying on long-term injury relief to comply, on an emergency basis.

“Since September, there’s been an elephant sitting in our locker room, with our cap space situation. The shoe was going to drop, and it has, with me being waived,” Rolston told The Post.

Rolston has disappointed since returning to the Devils, with 15 and 20 goal seasons after topping 30 three straight years with Minnesota. He is 2-2-4 in 15 games and minus-6 this season.

“For the money his contract is, quite frankly, the return is not there,” Lamoriello said. “With the payroll we have, I have to start somewhere.’

Lamoriello said the situation “is not [Rolston’s] fault,” and called Rolston “a quality person. There’s no better teammate.”

The Devils’ GM said he still believes in his team.

“I believe in the players. I believe in the coaching staff. We haven’t gotten it together,” Lamoriello said. “There are no excuses. I take the responsibility.”

Rolston held out hope that he might land on his feet.

“It could be good for me,” Rolston said. “We’ll see what happens by noon.”

Rolston kept his feelings to himself at being waived by the team that went overboard to sign him July 1, 2008.

“I have plenty of thoughts, but this is a business. So let’s leave it at that,” said Rolston, originally the Devils’ 1991 first-rounder. He was traded to Colorado for Claude Lemieux and a second, with a swap of firsts Nov. 3, 1999. He also played with Boston.

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D Anssi Salmela is expected to make his season debut for New Jersey on Wednesday night, returning from his second right knee reconstruction, this one in June from an injury suffered with the Finnish national team. . .Devils last lost six straight late in the 2008-09 season, going 0-5-1. They lost six straight in regulation in Nov. 2001.